Album Club Guide #6

Well Album Clubbers, the autumn hiatus dawns blearily on the horizon and with it Album Club #6. As the evenings grow longer and the cracks in the pavement ever colder and damper a Jamaican inspired edition may seem somewhat misjudged but neither of this week's spotlights smell of coconut and cannabis, far from it in fact.

Our vintage vinyl here is none other than The Specials' disaffected debut Specials (1979). Its sharp vitriol, spat in the face of urban failings, echoes in grim bounds through the concrete clubs and dole queues of today as much as it might've when the 80s broke in. An appropriation of Buster-like rhythm serendipitously infused with punk's bad temper, it frequently finds itself plinthed as the definitive slice of ska. But despite its bright covers, Costello's warm touch and the appearance of the totemic Rico Rodriguez (all catching Kudos by the 'bone-full), this is miles more Coventry than the Caribbean. It is wry. It is casually hostile. And in all its observations, its bitter mouth- it is British.

This might make the whole thing sound rather depressing: teenage pregnancies, failing marriages, racism, bitches and piss but it's all delivered with a wiry energy, coated in hooks and bits of brass. Writhing on an album more like a gig, 'It's Up to You', 'Blank Expression' and 'Little Bitch' all make perfect sense now because albums rarely make as much sense as this.

Such a comfortable incorporation of Jamaican technique is a strong feature on our next cut: Santogold's Santogold (2008). A former vocalist with a ska band named Stiffed, Santi White and her cohorts cast a net far wider than ska alone: hip-hop holds up steady, punk pushes in, electronica fulfils more than embellishes the picture but the striking thing about the record is that its crust and core are pure unpestered pop. Okay, not every track is a perfect single, all solitaire cut, but there are more than your fair share of glittering highlights. The pound and swell of the album's opener 'L.E.S. Artistes' crosses fingers among lush synths, the sweet 'Lights Out' is neither gigantic nor tame, 'Say Aha' and 'Shove It' show off White's versatility. 'Creator' with its stuttering beat and sung-spoke delivery, and already familiar from somewhere else, is both slightly unnerving and pretty catchy.

It might also be the main reason finding a review of this album without reference to M.I.A. is so unmanageable- but originality is not lacking and the differences are in-your-face enough. Not to tow the line for too long but Arular & Kala come over more cut and paste than Santogold's less angular blends. Yeah, they both share common collaboraters, have a wide range of inspiration and successfully mix genres like they were made to be mixed but the appeal of one isn't necessarily the charm of the other.
Overall the album is a confident debut and a rewarding listen.